Immediately after Kasey Kahne posted a lap good enough to win his first Coors Light Pole Award in the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, Denny Hamlin resigned himself to tempting fate in his quest for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

Hamlin, who holds a 15-point lead over four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, will start 37th at 174.407 mph. Johnson, on the other hand, qualified sixth at 176.482 mph. Kevin Harvick, who trails Hamlin by 46 points and is the only other driver with a shot at the championship, will start 28th.

“It was just too tight,” Hamlin said. “We didn’t improve (after the change), but our car’s going to be fine (in race trim). We know that. This is a track you can pass on. We’re looking forward to that part of it. Friday has just never been our strong suit, so we’ve got to battle back again.”

Johnson had hoped to make a run at the pole, but he was pleased with his starting position.

“We came down really well organized with scenarios we wanted to work with on the car if the handling went a certain way, and stuff worked as we had hoped, which was nice to see,” said Johnson, who can win his fifth straight title by winning Sunday and leading the most laps.

“So, I’m excited about how we’ll start the race, and then I’m also looking forward to practice tomorrow. There’s some work to do there and, we’ll get on top of things and have some fun.”

Kahne will undergo arthroscopic surgery on both knees Tuesday to correct a congenital condition. Kahne characterized the elective surgery as cleaning up the areas around his knees.

“I look forward to Sunday’s race,” said Kahne, who won his fourth pole of the season (three of which came with Richard Petty Motorsports) and the 20th of his career. “It’ll be exciting, being up front and being in the mix. Denny, Harvick and Jimmie—they’re all going to be fast throughout the race. I’m glad we are (fast) so far. I hope we can stick with it (Saturday), have a good practice and be competitive and in the mix on Sunday.”

Jamie McMurray claimed the third starting position, followed by Bill Elliott and AJ Allmendinger. Michael McDowell and Patrick Carpentier failed to qualify for the 43-car field.